This invention relates in general to road construction equipment and, more particularly, to a distribution unit which may be readily installed or detached to a tank truck for use in the application of liquid bituminous material and other products to road or other surfaces.
Distribution units or distributors are used to apply bituminous products to road surfaces for dust control and as preparation for surfacing operations. Conventional distributors are designed for permanent attachment to the chassis of a truck having a tank for containing a supply of the bituminous product. The permanently attached distributors, however, make these trucks unsuitable for over the road hauling of the bituminous product and large tanker trailers must be utilized for this purpose. These two types of trucks represent a significant capital investment and maintenance expense because many of these trucks contain heating and circulation units which prevent solidification of the bitumen. Therefore, it would be desirable if each of these trucks were capable of performing the dual functions of hauling and distributing the liquid material.